India’s youth need cyberspace safeguards

The dark side of cyberspace is proving deadly for India’s youth, with incidents of people taking their lives due to cyber-bullying coming to light from across the country. From increasing instances of morphed pictures circulated through Facebook and WhatsApp groups, to comments designed to hurt are ensuring that young men too are not being spared. Apart from the societal impact, such actions are harming teenagers’ academic lives as well. Recently, a teenager was removed from her school’s WhatsApp group when a morphed obscene image of her was circulated. 

The problem is that this menace is growing and in several cases the perpetrators cannot be caught as they send these offensive messages to their classmates through fake Facebook accounts. And with children’s interaction with the Web growing, such instances are likely to get worse. A recent study conducted showed that children falling in the age group of 8-16 years were highly active on social media platforms. 22 per cent of them conceded to being victims of cyber bullying, while a staggering 52 per cent of these children admitted to bullying others online.  

In this regard, many things need to be done, but perhaps one of the first things that need to be looked at is the law. An amendment to the extant Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act) is a must if it is to be brought in tune with crimes directed against children in a virtual environment. Updating India’s principal cyber law is of the utmost importance if it is to keep pace with the changing times. The Act was last amended almost a decade ago, in 2008. 

The legal vacuum has alarming consequences as till date there is an absence of any specific law which concerns itself with cyber-bullying. Cases of virtual bullying almost always go unreported primarily because citizens are unaware of how and where to report the matter. Documentation pertaining to the extent and nature of online bullying is unchartered territory, with cyber-bullying among children being a heavily under-researched area.  This is unfortunate as cyber-bullying is seen by experts as being more vicious than offline bullying and is a phenomenon neither parents nor educators can afford to neglect. 

Teaching children about online safety by incorporating it in the school curriculum is a must. Online bullying is a matter which educational institutions should necessarily take up. Children must learn how to positively make use of internet space by understanding the do’s and don’ts to be observed while accessing the virtual world. Cross-device protection and software which can screen content and block hurtful messages is the need of the hour. 

The importance of a safe cyberspace cannot be overlooked and children must be informed on where to draw the line when online. The nature of offences committed has undergone a drastic change over the past few years and the legal system must reflect it. 

The author is a fourth-year law student of ILS Law College. Views are personal.